Who would McCain's running mate have been in 2000?

What are the chances of GWB becoming McCain's VP? (Yes, I admit the thought crossed my mind because of that TL in AH wiki)
 
What are the chances of GWB becoming McCain's VP? (Yes, I admit the thought crossed my mind because of that TL in AH wiki)
McCain and Dubya had bad blood between each other after SC. You'd have to completely butterfly the negative ads. Bush also probably wouldn't want to be #2. Ashcroft would probably be McCain's pick, as he needed the religious right vote.
 

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I was thinking Dick Thornburg of Pennsylvania. I see George W Bush being given a cabinet position to get him out of the way. Something small and insignificant
 
McCain would've had to pick someone who, like Dubya, could manage to appeal to the religious right. Gary Bauer would be a pretty good candidate, I think.

Now, if we're looking for a position for Dubya to fill, then I'd say putting him as the Secretary of Energy would be a pretty good plan.
 
I don't think W would want it. Being Governor of Texas isn't a bad gig, and I think he would just figure he could try again in 2004/08, unless the POD is some kind of gigantic gaffe or scandal from him that made him unelectable.
 
Governor Engler of Michigan is an obvious choice. Governs a swing state with a lot of electoral votes, appeals to the conventional Establishment-Conservative types who backed Bush in 2000 in OTL, satisfactory to religious conservatives, etc.
 
Would Lindsey Graham, who at this time was US Representatives from South Carolina, be too southern heavy?

Other options:
John Kasich, Representative from Ohio
Senator Mike DeWine from Ohio
Representative Peter T. King from New York
Senator Bob Smith from New Hampshire
 
Would Lindsey Graham, who at this time was US Representatives from South Carolina, be too southern heavy?

Other options:
John Kasich, Representative from Ohio
Senator Mike DeWine from Ohio
Representative Peter T. King from New York
Senator Bob Smith from New Hampshire
Smith is a no-go, he ran for the Constitution nomination and as an independent after dropping out.
 
I think we have to ask *why* McCain wins the nomination in this ATL. If he defeats Bush in a hotly contested race, he may need to choose a VP who supported Bush and appeals to Bush's constituency (Engler being an example). But if McCain wins the nomination because Bush for some reason does not run, the situation is different. In such a campaign, McCain would probably be much less of a "maverick"; he would be more likely to stress the many issues in which he agrees with conventional conservative Republicans rather than the few (e.g., campaign finance reform) where he does not. He would get more Establishment-conservative and even religious-conservative (after all, his voting record was solidly anti-abortion) backing than in OTL. He would therefore be more free to choose a slightly unorthodox running mate.
 
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I have a suspicion that some people here are being over-influenced by the experience of 2008 to believe that McCain would have chosen a somewhat unconventional running mate in 2000. McCain did indeed seem to think "outside the box" in 2008--first considering Lieberman, then settling on Palin. But that was with Obama ahead in the polls and the economy in a bad way. Under those circumstances, it made sense to try something risky. In 2000, on the other hand, polls would probably have shwon McCain leading Gore (as they showed Bush leading Gore before Gore's choice of Lieberman). So there would be more incentive to play it safe.
 
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